Interested in public policy, the DC budget, research and information to inform and improve the caliber of public policy discussions or advocacy? This is the place for you: information and intelligence that improves advocacy is the stock in trade of this blog.

You can get more of WaPo Lunchline columnist Clinton Yates on WTOP, per WaPo's Clinton Yates Gives WTOP His Take. On January 30, FishbowlDC announced Yates's new gig, "My Take," to air Monday through Friday at 5:35 am and 8:35 am. Topics? According to the FishbowlDC announcement, Yates "will reflect on life in the DMV and beyond, addressing topics issues in sports, politics, and pop culture."

The Housing for All Campaign has launched meet-ups to solidify the community's message about affordable housing in the context of the upcoming elections. From the effort's email:

Take Your Questions to the Candidates
We believe all District residents deserve decent, safe housing at a price they can afford, and DC government must invest in the programs that meet that need. What do the candidates think?
All next week we'll be having meet-ups to talk about affordable housing in our communities, volunteer, and prepare to engage with candidates on issues that are important to you. Come, meet other members of your community who share your concerns, and get ready to speak up for affordable housing.

Learn to tell your story, practice giving testimony, and learn from your peers about housing advocacy! This interactive 4-week training is designed to make you prepared to speak out for affordable housing. Each training builds on the next, so please try to attend all four sessions.

BACKGROUND:The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) is responsible for preparing the District's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The OCFO ensures that the CAFR is released each year on time and with a clean opinion from the city's independent auditors. A clean opinion indicates that the District's financial books are in order, that the CAFR fairly presents the city's financial statements, and that the results of the city's fiscal year operations are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The District's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. The CAFR must be issued by February 1 following the end of a fiscal year.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Mayor Gray's regular biweekly presser Wednesday, January 29 from 10:00 - 11:00 am includes an announcement about new resources for job-seekers interested in the hospitality sector. The event takes place at D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2nd St NW).

From the mayor's advisory:

WHAT/WHO:Mayor Vincent C. Gray; Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins; Workforce Investment Council Interim Director Kermit Kaleba; Hotel Association of Washington, D.C. President Solomon Keene and Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington President and CEO Kathy E. Hollinger will announce grant awards to D.C. Central Kitchen and the University of the District of Columbia Community College to provide job-training services for those seeking employment in the District’s growing hospitality sector.

BACKGROUND:The job-training grants represent the second phase of the Workforce Intermediary hospitality initiative, which aims to provide needed job training for District residents as well as connect District residents to job openings in the hospitality sector. These efforts are part of the District’s Five-Year Economic Development Strategy, which identifies the hospitality industry as a key sector for job growth.

But the need is still there, especially with the colder weather today and tonight. If your office mates, family or friends are looking for something to do for others right now, buy cold weather necessities and deliver them to United Planning Organization for distribution on the DC Shelter Hotline vans. Deets below (flyer originally posted in Urgent: Donations of hats, gloves and more needed!).

The new BEGA website bega-dc.gov is chock full of terrific information including the dates and locations of board and commission meetings, lobbyist paper filings, information about the upcoming BEGA meetings, and information about agency procurement in 2013 (calendar year, not fiscal year).

The most up-to-date information about the Cold Emergency is now available on the DMHHS website http://dmhhs.dc.gov/. Today's updates include a notice from DC Public Library that the Deanwood site is closed because there is no heat.

You'll also find tips to prevent hypothermia, frostbite; FAQs about the Cold Emergency; and an update on warming site locations. Check the DMHHS site regularly for updates.

(Update 1/28/14 1:20 a: Reading is a good skill. Unfortunately, I did not use it before I wrote this post. The only info on the council website now is for the oversight hearings which start next week. Apologies!)

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The most up-to-date information about the Cold Emergency is now available on the DMHHS website http://dmhhs.dc.gov/. You'll find tips to prevent hypothermia, frostbite; FAQs about the Cold Emergency; and an update on warming site locations. Check the DMHHS site regularly for updates.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Kids in the Triangle and Mount Vernon Triangle CID are sponsoring the forum How Growing Families Approach DC Public Education February 12 from 7:30 - 9:00 pm at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church (901 3rd St NW). The forum will feature a discussion with DC public school leadership on the growing changes and needs of the downtown community as DC families navigate the changing landscape of DC public schools and public charter schools. There will be a moderated panel presentation followed by a question and answer period. Panelists are:

Kaya Henderson, Chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools

Scott Pearson, Executive Director, DC Public Charter School Board

Michael Moss, Principal, Walker Jones Education Campus

The moderator will be Claire Schaefer Oleksiak, President of Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District.

The only thing that makes this tool better is that it's been personalized for the District. I've added some DC- and issue-specific items and posted the (see DC 2014 editorial calendar). If your organization has day, week or month celebrations or recognitions you hope others will rally around, please add them to the DC calendar; Progress Notes did! It's open to the public for editing.

By now you've heard that we are in for one heck of a snow and wicked cold storm starting this morning. The National Weather Service predicts temps in the teens with wind up to 30 mph at varying times between now and the early hours of Saturday morning. Here's some info that's good to know:

Hypothermia Alert: Hypothermia season is November 1 to March 31 and when the temperature and wind chill drop to 32 deg. F or below, the alert is activated. The activation triggers provisions for homeless individuals and families; details are in the Winter Plan (PDF).

DHS and HSEMA notify the public when the Hypothermia Alert has been activated. The message below is the one distributed this morning at 6:51 am:

DHS reports the Hypothermia Alert will remain on. The current temperature is 38 degrees with a wind chill of 30 degrees. Today's forecast calls Snow, mainly after 9am. Temperature falling to around 19 by 5pm. North wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Alert DC: Sign up for Hypothermia Alert messages (text or email) by registering for Alert DC. The Alert DC system also messages AMBER Alerts, transportation incidents, utility interruption, and severe weather. Other choices are shown below.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi guests at the January 31 at 2:00 pm Q&A Cafe. According to program host Carol Joynt, Nnamdi's appearance is "So timely with all that's happening in DC, the mayor's race, and the recent sad trauma in his own family."

More information about Nnamdi and the event are on Carol Joynt's website. Contact the Ritz Carlton Georgetown's Heather Foster by calling (202) 912-4100 or via email.

The Ward 2 Education Network invites you to attend a community education forum with Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith on Saturday, February 8 from 10am to 11:30am at Cardozo Education Campus at 1200 Clifton St NW. In addition to her many other duties and responsibilities, Ms. Smith co-chairs the DC Advisory Committee on Student Assignment and the topic will be DCPS boundaries, feeders and student assignment policies currently underway.

DC has not undertaken a comprehensive review of its student assignment policies, including school attendance boundaries and feeder patterns, since the 1970s. Meanwhile, DCPS schools and public charter schools have opened and closed, neighborhoods have changed, and the city’s population has shifted. We know that families and communities want clarity, predictability, and quality school choices at locations that make sense for them.

The charge of the Advisory Committee is to incorporate public discussion, research, and analysis to provide the DME's office with fair minded, thoughtful, and informed recommendations. Specifically, the Advisory Committee will:

Review current citywide policies on attendance zones, feeder patterns and school choice

Formulate guidelines and principles for public school assignment and choice policies and practices

Listen to the community and serve as insightful interpreters of public sentiment, concerns, and questions

Make policy recommendations on how to bridge student-assignment and choice policies across DCPS and charter schools

Please forward this information to your family, school and community members. RSVP to: W2EdNetwork@gmail.com.

These meetings are sponsored and underwritten by the Logan Circle Community Association, the Dupont Circle Citizen Association and Foggy Bottom Association, in conjunction with the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions from Logan Circle (ANC 2F), Dupont Circle (ANC 2B) and Foggy Bottom (ANC 2A). There will be light snacks and babysitters will be on hand in a separate but nearby room to care for kids.

While preparing for a December hearing to consider nominations to various Boards and Commissions, Councilmember Grosso noticed something— there were far more men than women under consideration for appointment. We found ourselves wondering if this was a coincidence specific to that day and those specific Boards, or if there was a broader trend of gender imbalance. We reviewed the memberships of all the Boards before the Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs (BCRA) and then the 150 plus Boards and Commissions citywide. Our question was answered—there are significant and often egregious gender disparities.

The first half of the meeting we will be joined by Soumya Bhat of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute who will share info on what to expect during the upcoming DCPS (DC Public Schools) budget season, including tips for advocacy. The second half of the meeting will be the first installment of our -- done in conjunction with the Washington Teachers' Union -- listening circles to document the impact of education policy on families and communities. If you have been impacted by top-down education reform, please join us. Your story will be recorded and included in a national report.

Mid-Council Period reports are not required by the DC Council rules (PDF). End-of-CP reports are and too often are not done. The rule about the reports is here:

227. COMMITTEE-ACTIVITY REPORT.Each committee shall file a committee-activity report not later than 15 days before the end of each Council period that details the committee’s oversight and legislative activities. The format and content of the committee-activity report shall be determined by the Secretary.

Low-income families must overcome a number of obstacles in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency--they may have unmet needs for financial stability, nutrition, child care, health care access, education, or employment supports. Since the Great Recession, many low-income families have struggled with sustaining self-sufficiency and achieving economic mobility. At the same time, there has been a resurgence in interest at the federal level in family self-sufficiency research. Yet, in addition to their duties of promoting stability and increasing the safety net for low-income families, describing the nature of "self-sufficiency" presents its own challenge for policymakers. The idea of family self-sufficiency is broad, and success can be defined differently amongst policymakers. For example, is success achieved when families are able to make ends meet, are self-reliant, or no longer require the support of government programs?

In this forum we will discuss the nature of self-sufficiency and the ways different systems view economic instability. We will also discuss the present challenges and opportunities for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who work to understand the ways that federal policies can affect income instability, and the relationship between employment supports and poverty.

Barry Farm will be closed between January 10 and December 2014 so the current facility can be demolished and the new facility built

Normal Barry Farm programming will be offered at Birney School (2501 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE - entrance is on the parking lot side) starting Wednesday, January 15

The new facility will be 30,000 gross-square foot and include a gymnasium with spectator seating, multipurpose room, kitchen, fitness room, teens' room, game area, computer lab, a seniors' room and lounge

The outdoor spaces will include a synthetic athletic field for various sports, basektball courts, and more. The outdoor pool will become an indoor pool with new features including lap lanes and a leisure pool. The pool is scheduled to be completed this summer.

Additions to the traditional services detailed in the Winter Plan (PDF) were

Buses located across the city in places where homeless individuals tend to congregate

A new Twitter account (@DCHypothermia) that will share Hypothermia Alert updates, information about helping the homeless, and directing residents to report sightings of homeless people in need of immediate shelter

A new email (uposh@upo.org) that people can use to make a report to the Hypothermia Shelter Hotline

At our final staff meeting of 2013, we talked about Davon, an eight-year old boy who’s in therapy at Safe Shores. Working with his therapist, he's learning to control his anger through deep breathing, counting down and relaxation techniques. Recently, in the face of a potential meltdown, Davon applied what he’d learned. No one was more surprised than his mother, who’d all but lost hope in dealing with his outbursts. For the support that enables Safe Shores to help Davon and other young abuse survivors learn important coping skills, we thank you.

And we thank you for yet another way you made an impact in 2013: fulfilling the holiday wish lists of over 340 children during our Holiday Giving Drive. That’s a lot of smiles!

Now, in looking toward 2014, we have a wish list of our own. At the very top of Safe Shores' list, we want every adult to do something to keep children safe. Engage. Resolve to protect children from violence and abuse, starting today. Here's how:

Grow smarter about how to keep kids safe. Attend one of our free Stewards of Children trainings, where you’ll learn how to recognize, respond to and prevent child sexual abuse in our community. Preregister for our next training which will be on Tuesday, January 21 from 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Get to know us better. If you haven’t already, please join us for one of our bi-monthly Coffee for Kids tours, where you can learn how Safe Shores helps child victims of abuse. Come for just an hour. :) Register for one of our upcoming tours: January 16 or January 30.

Join the conversation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed and be a part of the solution to stopping child abuse. To check out a recent radio conversation about how we can protect children, click here.

If you have other ideas about how you’d like to be involved, let us know!

Thanks to you, children like Davon are healing and feeling more hopeful each day. On behalf of everyone at Safe Shores, I wish you a year filled with goals attained, dreams fulfilled, and the joy that comes from helping those in need.

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson will hold the first-of-2014 Legislative Meeting Media Briefing January 6 at 10:00 am in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building. Mendelson will brief the media and public on major actions to be taken at the January 7 leg meeting. Additional information is available by calling (202) 724-8032.

Accounting for more than 43 percent of the Commission's identity theft complaints in 2012, tax identity theft was the largest category of identity theft complaints by a substantial margin. In addition, the percentage of tax identity theft complaints nearly doubled, from just over 24 percent in 2011. Program participants will hear from a panel of experts from the FTC, the Internal Revenue Service and the American Association of Retired Persons who will also answer questions about what people can do if they become a victim of tax identity theft.

There are several issues unresolved from the recommendations made by the Fenty transition human services team. Many were addressed by Mayor Fenty and more recently Mayor Gray. I suggest candidates take a look for the unresolved items―such as the need for a comprehensive child abuse prevention plan―and adopt those that make sense to you.